Types of hard water fish

[M...]

Hello, I love fish, but hate having to chase water parameters. I currently own guppies, and multi shell dwellers. My ph is 8.0-8.2 and my water is liquid rock. What are some hardwater fish that you guys can recommend (please no livebearers like guppies or endlers)

          Thank you for all the advice 🙂

[KaitieG]

My water is similar (PH 8.0-8.2, GH 350+) and I've had good luck with your typical livebearers (guppies, swords, etc), several types of corydoras, white cloud mountain minnows, dwarf chain loaches, angelfish from a local hard-water breeder, and bettas and ember tetras (despite some of these not being "classic" hard water fish).  The only thing that hasn't done well that I've tried is one soft-water bred angelfish and neons (though others have had success with these in hard water).

I know a lot of the African cichlids are also great for hard water.  I haven't personally gone that route yet though.

[M...]

Wow! That's very interesting. Did you ever have breeding success with these not so hardwater fish? Because I love keeping fish, but i find it even more rewarding when you can get them to breed

[M...]

On 1/28/2022 at 11:47 AM, KaitieG said:

My water is similar (PH 8.0-8.2, GH 350+) and I've had good luck with your typical livebearers (guppies, swords, etc), several types of corydoras, white cloud mountain minnows, dwarf chain loaches, angelfish from a local hard-water breeder, and bettas and ember tetras (despite some of these not being "classic" hard water fish).  The only thing that hasn't done well that I've tried is one soft-water bred angelfish and neons (though others have had success with these in hard water).

I know a lot of the African cichlids are also great for hard water.  I haven't personally gone that route yet though.

I added a comment but I didn't quote you, I'm still getting the swing of things, sorry

[KaitieG]

I've bred Aneus cories on accident.  When I moved the adults out of QT, I ended up with a babies in the tank.  Otherwise they tend to eat their own eggs.

The angelfish lay eggs for me, but they're in a commuinity tank and I haven't hatched out fry yet.  Haven't ever tried to breed the betta/tetra/white clouds.  I don't have an LFS, so it's really, really hard to get rid of anything when I get a batch of fry.  Unless I have room for it myself I tend to not breed them (except the livebearers which take care of that on their own!)

From what I've read dwarf chain loaches have to have hormones to stimulate breeding and it's super hard to get them to breed in a home aquarium, so I haven't even considered that.

I've had good success with blue neocardina shrimp.  Their colonies are growing all the time.

[M...]

On 1/28/2022 at 12:14 PM, KaitieG said:

I've bred Aneus cories on accident.  When I moved the adults out of QT, I ended up with a babies in the tank.  Otherwise they tend to eat their own eggs.

The angelfish lay eggs for me, but they're in a commuinity tank and I haven't hatched out fry yet.  Haven't ever tried to breed the betta/tetra/white clouds.  I don't have an LFS, so it's really, really hard to get rid of anything when I get a batch of fry.  Unless I have room for it myself I tend to not breed them (except the livebearers which take care of that on their own!)

From what I've read dwarf chain loaches have to have hormones to stimulate breeding and it's super hard to get them to breed in a home aquarium, so I haven't even considered that.

I've had good success with blue neocardina shrimp.  Their colonies are growing all the time.

Oh ok, that's very interesting to know that the angels, and cories may be an option, I'm lucky enough to have an lfs, even though it may be on the wrong side of town.

[KaitieG]

I think you'd be pretty safe trying cories.  They seem to adapt well for most people.  The angelfish I think it just depends on where they come from.  I don't know of anyone else who breeds in 350+GH water, but the guy I got these from (through the local club) has been doing it for years, and has beautiful fish.  He does plecos and angelfish in his basement, and that's it.  Gettling locally bred fish/shrimp was great when the local(ish) club was doing online auctions.

[Colu]

Lake Malawi or lake Tanganyikan cichlids will do fine in hard water and most central American cichlids and livebearers

[ShySnail]

In addition to the others mentioned, I've had great luck with the smaller pleco species and goldfish in my liquid rock.

 

[Goosedub]

A lot of fish are bred in Florida now a days, like a lot of the us suppliers. They breed all of it in rock hard water. So far I have bred polar blue parrot cichlids, Endlers, multis, and kribensis, and have had spawns from German blue rams and Turkana Jewel cichlids that have been eaten by their parents. My water is pretty hard as well.

[JettsPapa]

I also have 8.2 pH hard water.  In addition to guppies, which you said you aren't interested in, I've had good luck with pearl gouramis, serpae tetras, pristella tetras, black neon tetras, lemon tetras, Turquoise rainbowfish, Corydoras trilineatus, Corydoras panda, Corydoras pygmaeus, and pea puffers.  And neocaridina shrimp.

[Brandon p]

I live in Florida and have hard water similar to yours. If you buy from your LFS ask if they know where the fish were breed. ToNs of angelfish are raised in open ponds and on the east coast Miami area are found in the drainage ditches. I have never had and problems the common corys you see like the bronze and albino. For me it’s the ph that is the biggest problem not that the water has the minerals in it. I keep discus and the only think I’m doing for the adults is I add peat to the canister filter. I have messed around with some other things like dirted tanks with a bottom layer of peat on top of a undergravel filter so it depends on what kind of work you want to do. If I hard to say the number east set is the African cichlids. Next is angelfish and tetras neon and cardinals. I think that is if does make a difference if you get fish that were born and raised Florida. Most fish that can survive in the lakes and cannals here will do well. Someone said jewel Cichlids and they are everywhere. 

[Levi_Aquatics]

Most African cichlids will do well in liquid rock. 

[M...]

I've been planning on going to a club meeting a while now, I'm sure I can find some suitable fish there. Thank you for all the help folks.